


#5

by AceOnMain (Sangrylah)



Series: Itachi's Daycare For Maladjusted Children [5]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Gen, References to Canon, References to canonical violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:22:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28193919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sangrylah/pseuds/AceOnMain
Summary: Clouds appear. Itachi is a responsible childnapper.Reading of the first works in the series recommended for understanding.
Relationships: Uchiha Itachi & Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Itachi & Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Itachi/bad headspace
Series: Itachi's Daycare For Maladjusted Children [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1965778
Comments: 3
Kudos: 27





	#5

Itachi has a problem.

Well, one  _more_ problem. Itachi currently has a lot of problems, but  those he accounted for. Sort of. This one? Not at all.

The problem is: they need clothes. Naruto’s alone are about to fall apart, no little thanks to Itachi’s rigorous, twofold suiton/katon cleaning regimen. Their own Uchiha blue shirts fair better, which is another problem in itself.

Thus: they need new clothes.

So Itachi needs to buy clothes. The issue about this simple statement is that Itachi has very little money. He did not plan on kidnapping his brother when he very much did so, let alone another child beside. But Naruto’s shirt has holes in it and Sasuke's is Uchiha blue. They need new clothes.

They need to go to town.

Itachi gathers the children and crouches in front of them. He explains the situation and his plan. He listens to questions – Naruto’s – and answers them. Sasuke remains silent. When Naruto doesn’t have any more questions, Sasuke opens his mouth.

“We’re not going back.” It’s not a question.

Itachi breathes in. This isn’t how he wanted to tackle that problem, but Sasuke is not stupid. Itachi struck him, stole him away in the middle of the night, ran away for a week straight, buried his hitai-ate. His brother is too smart to not put the pieces together. “No, Sasuke.”

They look at each other for a long time. Naruto nervously fists his hands around the frayed stitch of his shirt. Sasuke nods and lowers his eyes. Itachi gently caresses his hair once, twice. Naruto shivers and stares at the ground with wide eyes.

Henges. They need to blend in. The Uchiha black hair/black eyes combo is pretty nondescript, but Naruto’s bright blond hair is a beacon. Itachi touches his fingers to the jinchūriki’s tiny forehead and darkens his hair to be as black as theirs. The marks on his face disappear. He gives Sasuke brown eyes and changes the shape of his own face to something older.

They go.

Itachi is not stressed.

Not at all.

He is ANBU; ANBU don’t get anxious. ANBU get mean and lethal.

Itachi ignores the little voice in his head that says that he isn’t ANBU any more.

He has one tiny hand in each of his, fingers firmly latched around delicate wrists. Unnecessarily, perhaps, since both children stay plastered to his sides, their small feet tramping his as they walk. The streets are busy enough that it doesn’t look as suspicious as it is. Itachi walks at an intentionally calm and unhurried pace. Nothing to see here, just a man with his children.

He bypasses the product sellers and the food vendors despite the tempting aromas and Naruto’s grumbling little belly. The child murmurs an apology and Itachi can only squeeze his hand. They are all hungry and hungry children is bad, but the priority is clothes. Itachi is just going to have to hunt more. He can make food but he can’t make clothes.

Except that he will have to, because everything is grossly out of budget. Itachi stares at the price tags without blinking. He never knew clothes cost that much. His and Sasuke's and every Uchiha’s clothes comes from the Uchiha clan, either made in-house or shopped for and then embroided. They never ~~have~~ ~~had~~ ~~have~~ had to worry about _buying_ clothes.

At those rates, Itachi will have to buy a length of fabric and sew what he can. Or steal.

Thievery would normally be the best option but he has assets to protect. Stealing clothes could attract undue attention on them. He would need to leave them somewhere safe during the operation. Alone. Defenceless. In foreign territory –  _enemy_ territory.

Sewing it is.

Itachi has acquired a length of cloth. He asked for the cheapest fabric on offer and after considering him and the two little black heads at his sides for a moment, the lady showed him to a red on black cloud patterned roll. Itachi would have preferred something less unique, but it felt thick and warm, exceedingly so for the asking price. It even left him with a little money, half of which he spent on a bag of rice.

Which leaves him here, a few clicks away from that little town with two conked out kids while he considers how to make clothes in what he believes may be curtain fabric.

How do you make sleeves? How do you make collars, for that matter? Kami. Itachi should’ve asked his parents to teach him to sew.

But his parents are dead. So are his clan. Which doesn’t actually matter, for Itachi deserted with two of the most valuable Leaf assets. Anyway you look at it, Itachi doesn’t have his parents. Itachi is going to have to learn how to sew, and to cook, and to keep two children alive and healthy. This is his life, now. He made it so.

He sighs and closes his eyes. He feels tired and restless. The rice sits heavy in his belly after a week of mushed plants and squirrel. The kids were ecstatic, though. They devoured the stew with happy little noises and fell asleep almost immediately, pressed together like blind puppies in front of the small fire. The rice did them good. Children need more food than foraged plants and half a squirrel.

The rice was a good call. Itachi made a good decision.

Itachi can keep making good decisions. Itachi is smart and highly trained. Itachi is ANBU. Itachi is a genius. Itachi ~~is~~ ~~was~~ ~~is~~ was was _was_ the heir and renaissance of the Uchiha clan. He can make good decisions. He doesn’t need his dead parents or his traitorous village.

Itachi doesn’t know how to sew but he does know how to stitch someone up. He has stitching thread, clothes he can copy, and children who need clothes to stay alive.

Itachi gets his stitching kit out and goes to work.

It takes him three days and the sleeves are a little lopsided but Naruto spins and spins and spins, eyes and mouth wide with pleasure, to make the little red on black patterned cloak billow around him. The child barrels into him with a happy shriek and hugs his thighs hard enough to bruise.

“I’ve never had anything new! Thank you!”

Itachi can hear his heart shatter in his chest and by the way Sasuke, who has been spreading and closing his fingers to make the sleeves move for the last minutes, stops and looks at the other child with solemn eyes, so does his.

Itachi puts a hand on the blond head and smiles. Good calls all around.

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter dedicated to Crissy who wanted to see the babies in tiny Akatsuki cloaks! I hope everyone else enjoyed as well ♥  
> Thank you for reading, for commenting, please stay safe during the holidays!


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